Blood cells of Fundulus heteroclitus (L.)

Abstract

Much of the parenchyma of the normal pronephros of the adult Fundulus hereroclitus. a euryhaline teleost, is haematopoietic tissue which was examined in cytocentrifuge preparations and plastic embedded thick sections. As we have not characterized many of the blood cells functionally, the terminology used is based on their morphological resemblance to similarly named cells in higher vertebrates. Approximately 80% of the nonerythroid elements observed in the pronephros are mature eosinophilic granulocytes (48%). immature eosinophilic granulocytes (25%), or cells likely to be their precursors [e.g. small blast cells (6O/o) and large blast cells (2%)]. Although there are macrophages in the pronephros that are capable of endocytotic activity, the mature and immature granulocytes are not. The granulocytes are non-specific esterase positive, PAS positive, acid phosphatase negative, and are capable of being mobilized by a RES activating agent, Ecteinuscidiu turbinutu.

Granulopoiesis in the head kidney of Sparus auratus.

“…The ultrastructural characteristics of the stem cells are similar to those described in other species of teleost fish (SMITH et al,1970;HIGHTOWER et al, 1984;ROMESTAND and TRILLES, 1984;YOFFEY, 1985;FANGE, 1986 show an oval nucleus-occasionally slightly indented -similar to that described in ciprinides by ELLIS (1977) and BIELEK (1981). At no stage did we observe lobed nuclei as described in other species of teleosts (JAKOw-SKA, 1956;DAVIES and HAYNES, 1975;LESTER and DESSER, 1975;BIELEK, 1981;SAVAGE, 1983;ROMESTAND and TRILLES, 1984).…”

“…However, glycogen does exist in the cytoplasm of eosinophilic myelocyte and metamyelocyte granulocytes of Sparus auratus, which has not been observed in any other species. The presence of eosinophilic granulocytes has been described in some species of teleost (JAKOWSKA,1956;GARDNER and YEVICH, 1969;KELENYI and NEMETH, 1969;LESTER and DESSER,1975;ZAPATA, 1979;SAVAGE, 1983;HIGHTOWER et al, 1984). The morphology of the eosinophilic series of granulocyte is quite similar to that of heterophilic granulocytes, except in the cytoplasmic granules.…”

Stromal Cells, Macrophages and Lymphoid Cells in the Head-kidney of Sea Bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.). An Ultrastructural Study.

“…The fine structure of sea bass small lymphocytes is quite similar to that in some teleosts (WEINREB,1963;FERGUSON, 1976;ELLIS, 1977;DOGGETT and HARRIS, 1989). They are agranular cells like those of some fish species (WEINBERG et al, 1972;FERGUSON, 1976;HIGHTOWER et al, 1984;. Granular lymphocytes have been described in Ictalurus punctatus, Cyprinus carpio and Carassius auratus (CANNON et al, 1980;TEMKIN and MCMILLAN, 1986;BIELEK,1988).…”

“…Unlike other vertebrates, fish macrophages have been described in both haematogenous and histogenous forms (JAKOWSKA, 1956;LESTER and DANIELS, 1976). According to the localization (ELLIS,1976), ultrastructural features (HIGHTOWER et al, 1984) or differing glass adherent properties (BRAUN-NESJE et al, 1982), several types of macrophages have been recognized in the same teleost species. Ultrastructurally, monocytes closely resemble heterophilic granulocytes (HINE et al, 1986) and blast cells (WEINREB and WEINREB, 1969).…”

“…These cells may play an important role in erythroid homeostasis and provide a range of trophic interactions (HUME et al, 1984;CROCKER et al, 1988). The fish head-kidney is considered the main macrophageproducing tissue (BRAUN-NESJE et al, 1981), and the presence of several types of macrophages, probably forming part of the same cell lineage, has been confirmed (ELLIS, 1976;BRAUN-NESJE et al, 1982;HIGHTOWER et al, 1984). The macrophage ultrastructure has not been completely established, nor has the presence of a resident macrophage population comparable to those in mammals been reported.…”